Rent a Hasselblad camera : Calumet Photographic is offering professional and passionate photographers a unique opportunity to upgrade to the finest, state-of-the-art medium format digital imaging system available today. Trade in an 18MP or larger medium format back, then lease the Hasselblad H3D-39 for only $699.99 per month. At the conclusion of the 36-month lease, the Hasselblad H3D can be purchased for only one dollar! “We’re thrilled to provide this opportunity to own a camera that raises the standard of digital photography to a new level,” said Michael Miller, president of Calumet Photographic. “The Hasselblad H3D will exceed your wildest expectations. Every picture you take has an incredible level of sharpness and detail.”

MEG-IP5 Network Camera : Audio Video Supply, Inc, a San Diego distributor first in surveillance systems, introduces its new 5 Megapixel Sensitive IP Camera, MEG-IP5. The MEG-IP5 MegaVideo technology delivers full motion HDTV resolution of 2560 x 1600 in either day or night. This is 15 times the resolution of the best surveillance analog cameras on the market. Its cinema compatible video frame rate of up to 15fps allows high definition digital video surveillance with ultra forensic zooming after the event in the available picture-in-picture mode. The MEG-IP5 ½” optical format ip sensitive camera also has a sensitivity up to 1 lux @ F1.4, which allows excellent real-time motion detection up to 64 separate zones for each channel.

Canon EOS 400D cashback offer : Canon announced it will be continuing the 20th Anniversary celebrations of its popular Canon EOS SLR range by extending its £50 / €80 Cashback promotion on any Canon EOS 400D D-SLR camera bought before 31 August 2007. Canon’s Cashback offer is also available when the Canon EOS 400D is purchased as part of one of the special D-SLR photo kits, produced to mark the range’s 20th Anniversary - enabling you to claim further cashback on your purchases. The existing Canon Cashback promotion currently on offer for the Canon EOS 30D and Canon EOS 5D cameras, lenses & accessories will finish on 30 June 2007 as originally announced. Canon’s Cashback promotion for the EOS 400D is available until 31 August 2007.

Mamiya digital back with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom : Mamiya Digital announced the release of the new Mamiya ZD 22 megapixel Digital Back. The Mamiya ZD Back is compatible with the Mamiya 645AFD II, 645AFD and RZ67 Pro IID, cameras popular among professional photographers and advanced amateurs. "Mamiya’s careful planning in the design of the communication protocol MSCE (Mamiya Serial Communication for External) has successfully optimized two-way communication between our cameras and the digital back,” states Jeff Karp, Mamiya Product Marketing Manager, “this produces a unified operating experience identical to using a one-piece digital camera.” The Mamiya ZD Back was designed with the user in mind.

Canon cashback for EOS 400D buyers : Canon announced it will be continuing the 20th Anniversary celebrations of its popular EOS range by extending its £50/€80 Cashback promotion on any EOS 400D D-SLR camera bought before 31 August 2007. Canon’s Cashback offer is also available when the EOS 400D is purchased as part of one of the special D-SLR photo kits, produced to mark the range’s 20th Anniversary - enabling you to claim further cashback on your purchases. Canon’s Cashback promotion is available until 31 August 2007 on select EOS 400D products, whilst its limited-edition 20th Anniversary range of D-SLR photo kits will be available to buy until the end of 2007 - enabling you to further share in Canon’s birthday festivities.

Free firmware update for Leica Digilux 3 : Leica Camera AG, Solms will be providing a free firmware update for the Leica Digilux 3 on its website. The new firmware (version 2.0) offers extensive improvements regarding the performance and ergonomics of the digital SLR camera. To facilitate installation of the new firmware, Leica’s website also gives instructions on the download and update routine on the camera in the form of a pdf document. The new firmware for the Leica Digilux 3 optimizes the use of the camera for many applications. Besides additional multiple exposure functions, the update also offers, for the first time, a Mode 3 for optical stabilization that compensates camera shake when the camera is moved up- and downwards.

Cash back offer during Nikon anniversary : Nikon Europe is kicking off Nikon’s 90th Anniversary Celebration with a tempting Cash Back offer on selected kits built around the company’s award-winning D40 and D40x digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. Buyers of either camera in one of the packages below from June 1, 2007 through August 31, 2007 are eligible for 90 Euro cash back. To claim their cash back, consumers need only visit the Nikon web site and follow the instructions given. Once approved, the funds will be transferred directly to the consumer’s bank account electronically. Nikon Europe plans to promote the Cash Back celebration with point-of-sale information at camera dealers.

Single use HQ camera from Kodak : The newest “must have” in any purse, beach bag, or backpack is the Kodak HQ Maximum Versatility Single Use Camera. With a smaller, simple, modern design and silver-colored body, the HQ camera gives consumers a stylish way to get a photo, even when an expensive camera isn’t available. The new design, featuring a Kodak Ektanar Lens and Kodak's 800-speed film, delivers the same high-definition pictures with unbeatable clarity that consumers expect from Kodak HQ cameras. “The new HQ is an ideal complement to a digital picture-taking experience,” said Laurent Dartoux, General Manager of Film Capture, Eastman Kodak Company. “The new sleek, smaller design is 20 percent smaller than most single use cameras.

Worldwide debut of stylish GE-branded digital cameras : General Imaging, the worldwide exclusive licensee for GE-branded digital cameras, announced that HSN will offer GE cameras in its lineup of products, featuring several models over the next several months. GE digital cameras will appear on HSN beginning at 12 a.m. tomorrow and continuing throughout the day. The May 1 debut on HSN marks the first time GE digital cameras will be available to the public. GE cameras are expected to be on store shelves later in May 2007. On May 1 HSN will introduce the G1, GE’s sleek, signature digital point-and-shoot camera as “Today’s Special.” The G1 digital camera comes with 7-megapixel resolution, 3X zoom and a 2.5-inch LCD screen.

Wide angle digital camera for real estate photography : RealPIX announces the world's first and only specialty wide angle digital camera built just for real estate photography. The wide angle camera answers the requests of hundreds of thousands of working real estate sales agents who are frustrated at not being able to buy a simple point and shoot digital camera with the high quality ultra wide angle lens and powerful flash needed for taking web-ready photos of the rooms and exteriors of houses for sale. Until the RealPIX wide angle camera, the features most needed by real estate agents have been coupled to other features they do not need. The RealPIX Wide Camera is priced at $299, with free ground shipping to USA destinations.

System camera without mirror : Our DIWA colleague and friend Kai Thon from the Norwegian website DigIT published an interesting article about the future of digital SLR cameras or more like the possibility of a new digital system camera concept. After reading the article from Kai I did remember a conversation with one of the engineers of a certain brand that is one of the players in the digital SLR camera market. He was just thinking loud and stated "why would we keep the concept of a SLR camera like it is now? We now have the change of changing the basic ideas of a system camera, so …". And indeed, the digital SLR camera today is more or less the same concept as an analogue camera some decades ago.

Sanyo pocket camera enters US market : Weighing less than six ounces with battery and SD card onboard, the pocket-sized Sanyo Xacti CG6 digital video/still pocket camera is a stylish choice for spontaneous recording whenever inspiration strikes. For exceptionally clear photos, a new "blur correction with gyro sensor" system effectively corrects unintentional camera shake, while low-light performance down to 2 lux (Lamp Mode) lets the Xaxti CG6 capture special moments even in candlelight alone. The Sanyo Xacti CG6 will be available in the U.S. at the end of March at an MSRP of $329.99. The stylish blue Sanyo Xacti CG6 pocket camera will be available at Wal-Mart Stores in the United States.

Canon anniversary : Besides being present at the PMA 2007 show, held in Las Vegas, where Canon are exposing their impressively large assortment of image products, this year is a memorable year for Canon. The very first Canon camera, the Canon S, was born exactly 70 years ago. In the years thereafter Canon experienced a successful epoch with innovative image solutions and a strong presence on the photo market. During the switch from analogue to digital, Canon knew how to keep their market position and even enhanced their business to take up a dominant position, for both amateur and professional market. Pure nostalgia came to me when I saw the following cameras showcased at the Canon booth during the last PMA 2007 event.

Kodak HQ single use camera : At PMA 2007, Eastman Kodak Company unveiled enhancements to its consumer family of film capture products, most notably the newly redesigned Kodak HQ Maximum Versatility single use camera that features a silver-colored body with a simple, clean and modern design, which is 20 percent smaller than the camera it replaces. This comes close on the heels of the recent Kodak Professional Portra Film launch; and together, they underscore the company’s ongoing commitment to the film category. The first shipment of the redesigned Kodak HQ single use camera to retailers began February 19, 2007. The new Kodak Gold 100 and Kodak 200 Films will be available on a stock turnover basis begining in Q1 2007.

Archos 404 camcorder : Weighing in at just under seven ounces, the brand new Archos 404 Camcorder is the complete portable digital media player for anyone wanting to both take all of their entertainment content with them and take digital video while on the go. Available from Archos, a global consumer electronics manufacturer and inventor of the portable video player, the 404 Camcorder is the first portable media player with a built-in camcorder for capturing and viewing video anywhere, and still fits easily in a small purse or a shirt pocket. The Archos 404 Camcorder is available for $299.99 MSRP at the Archos web site and other select online retailers. The Archos 404 Camcorder is the perfect portable multimedia player for everyone

Marine Cameras from Raymarine : Raymarine, Inc., a world leader in marine electronics, announced at the Miami International Boat Show its new CAM50 Color Dome Camera, the perfect indoor complement to Raymarine's CAM100 Day and Night camera. With its low profile wall or ceiling mount, the petite black dome-shaped camera is the ideal choice for monitoring indoor and enclosed areas, such as a boat's wheelhouse, salon or engine room. Similar to the CAM100, the CAM50 is a plug-and-play device that is compatible with Raymarine's E-Series High Definition Multifunction Displays and G-Series MarineMonitors, enabling boaters to view the camera's output in a full screen or alongside their radar, chartplotter, and fishfinder.

Pentax Optio A30 DivX certified digital camera : DivX, Inc. and Pentax Imaging Company announced the DivX certification of the Pentax Optio A30, the innovative imaging company’s sixth DivX Certified digital camera in 18 months. As a DivX Certified digital camera, the Optio A30 makes it easy for users to create their own media. With the push of a button on a palm-sized digital camera, users can instantly record high-quality DivX video and play it back on any of the 70 million DivX Certified consumer electronic devices available today. The Pentax Optio A30 camera is a 10-megapixel still camera with unprecedented video capabilities. It sports a 2.5 inch color LCD for optimal still and video capture.

Kodak HQ Single Use Camera : Kodak introduced its Kodak HQ Maximum Versatility Single Use Camera, which blends the quality and durability of a Kodak single use camera with a simple, clean and modern design. The new camera, 20% smaller than the camera it replaces, extends the single use camera category value in a digital world. The new design, combined with the Kodak Ektanar Lens and Kodak's 800-speed film, delivers the same high-definition pictures with the unbeatable clarity that 800-speed single use camera consumers have come to expect from Kodak. Nearly 60 percent of Americans own more expensive film or digital cameras, but still turn to one-time use cameras when they want to protect their camera or if that camera isn’t available.

Canon VB-C300 PTZ security camera : Canon expands its acclaimed line of Network Video Solutions products with the addition of the VB-C300 Wide-Angle Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) network camera, addressing the confined quarters and wiring limitations often faced by small businesses. Offering the widest angle of view of any PTZ camera on the market, the new feature-packed VB-C300 PTZ Camera, along with the introduction of Version 1.3 of Canon’s versatile VK-64 / VK-16 Network Video Recording Software, are the company’s latest innovations for security and video-monitoring professionals needing to capture high-quality video and deliver it via a LAN or the Internet. The Canon VB-C300 PTZ Camera has an estimated selling price of $999.

Pentax digital SLR camera products : Pentax Corporation is pleased to announce the exhibition of its soon-to-be-released digital SLR camera products, all currently under development, at two major trade shows in the U.S.A. and Japan. PMA 2007 is America’s largest annual photographic merchandise trade show, to be held from March 8 to 10, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada; the Photo Imaging Expo 2007 is one of Asia’s largest annual photo and imaging merchandise trade fairs, and will be held from March 22 to 25 at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo. The digital SLR camera products include several interchangeable lenses, a macro lens, a medium format camera and a dedicated auto flash unit.